Average water levels for January dropped just below the lowest average ever recorded in January of 1965.

Changes in weather patterns are the main cause in the record lows. Dredging for ship traffic is also a factor, according to an Associated Press article on the low water levels. Water more easily flows out of

Huron and Michigan and into the St. Clair River and eventually the Atlantic due to deeper channels for ship traffic.

Army Corps of Engineers water managers are considering their options to increase water levels, but they have no definitive plan.

Image: Low water levels on Lake Michigan at Old Mission Point in 2000 (Credit: NOAA)